Marvel Magic Case Files

Chapter 121 A Game That Lasts for a Thousand Years (First Update! Please Vote!)

This abandoned subway interchange was quite old; the red brick walls weren't even fully tiled. Salomon estimated it was at least fifty years old. New York's subway lines change frequently, so some areas being abandoned is understandable. He stood one step below Dave, listening to the apprentice wizard's long sighs. Salomon shook his head helplessly, chanted a spell, and summoned the little dog lying on the spellbook in the puddle, along with the book, to fly over and land in his hand.

Immediately afterward, he quickly put the Shar Pei down, because the silly dog ​​kept trying to shake the water out of its fur, and he didn't want to get his clothes wet.

"Thank you, buddy, you saved my life and Donk's life too," Dave said, covering his face in anguish. "But Becky, she... she's going to leave me again. Actually, the last time I left was ten years ago... Ugh, I'm doomed."

"Of course you're finished!" Salomon bent down, setting aside the Merlin school's spellbook. This was a secret of other schools; the Merlin school had already gained Kamar-Taj's approval and handed over some spells, but most magic remained the school's private property, something Salomon was absolutely forbidden to see. The arcane mage said, "You and your master have certainly gotten yourself into a lot of trouble these past few days. Do I really need to remind you? Leaving aside your teacher, Balthazar, you cast spells in front of ordinary people…"

Dave let out a long sigh. He kept his eyes tightly shut, not having heard a word Salomon said. He didn't care at all about what was going to happen next, because the current situation was almost exactly the same as ten years ago—the boy who had accidentally entered the mysterious world had an accident and couldn't gain the understanding of the ordinary girl, so they broke up, went their separate ways, and never saw each other again.

Generally, these Hollywood-style stories have a happy ending, and the male and female protagonists should have some emotional foundation before the events unfold. But Dave believes his life won't have a happy ending, because life isn't a movie; he hasn't even held Becky's hand yet.

"Hey! Hey!" Salomon gently patted Dave's face. "Are you listening to me?"

"Okay, okay." Dave opened his eyes and blinked hard. As he stood up, he also picked up the wet dog. "What do you want me to do?"

"You've probably just taken the warning. We've dealt with the robber," Salomon said. "When Balthazar arrives, I'll tell him how things were handled at Kamar-Taj—at least make him cast an invisibility spell while he's flying, which won't take much time."

The simple iron gate opened again, and Balthazar walked in carrying a bag, but the sight before him astonished him. Salomon had only countered Dave's spell, stopping the activated cleaning equipment, but the taps were still running, and the caravan area was still a vast expanse of water.

"What are you doing here?" he asked Salomon. "And what's going on here?"

"Can't you see? Kamar-Taj's transfiguration magic isn't as good as Merlin's. The magic here has gone out of control." Salomon shrugged. "I think your apprentice knows better than anyone what happened. It's a miracle he's still alive."

Balthazar immediately understood the whole story. He had temporarily stopped teaching to give Dave time for his date, and the scene before him was undoubtedly Dave's preparation for it. It must have been Dave's lack of skill; he had forced the use of Merlin's Ring to cast the spell and then failed to control it properly, causing the magic to go out of control. Balthazar quickly cast a spell to remove the water from the ground, restoring everything to its original state—except for the cleaning foam, the wet floor, and the scattered mops, it looked exactly the same as before.

"You!" Balthazar approached Dave, pressing his index finger heavily against the latter's chest. "You have defiled the art of magic! You have also disregarded Merlin's Ring! Magic is not a game! There are no shortcuts in magic! Look at him!"

As the only "model child" present, Salomon naturally became Balthazar's best subject for educating Dave. Pointing at the sorcerer, he loudly proclaimed to Dave, "He could use some minor spells when he was five, but for the next few years, he tirelessly read magic books, accumulating knowledge until he could officially cast spells. You've only been exposed to magic for a few days, yet you dare to cast spells recklessly! If you can't even control yourself, you can't control magic. That will not only hurt others but also yourself. Every sorcerer's first lesson isn't focus, but restraint. You should learn discipline, Dave."

"Thank you for your advice, but it's useless." Dave stepped back a few paces, shaking his head in frustration. "If I can't even control a few mops, what's the point of all those rules?"

"You must cast aside your worries and believe in yourself!"

"Another useless piece of advice, thank you." Dave waved his hand again, indicating he didn't want to discuss the matter. But Balthazar wouldn't let him off the hook. Before this, in order to pique Dave's interest in magic—his apprentice whom he had been searching for for over a thousand years—Balthazar had skipped many essential subjects for spellcasters, such as discipline and temperance, choosing instead to have Dave try casting spells directly. The result was obvious: Dave did indeed develop a great interest in magic, but this also made him underestimate the dangers of magic.

"Is this how you do it?" the novice mage retorted impatiently to Balthazar's lecture. Salomon, who had already lost his value as an educational tool, found a clean chair and sat down. He wouldn't leave until the message from Kamar-Taj was delivered.

"What I do is not important..."

"It's very important, Balthazar," Dave took a deep breath, his voice trembling slightly—a lingering effect from ten years ago. He said, "Your existence is meant to make me live in hell! You know what I've been through these past ten years, I've told you..."

"Listen, you have no idea what hell on earth is." Balthazar's anger subsided instantly. He seemed to realize he had been too harsh on Dave, because Dave's life had changed drastically since they met, and Dave's magical knowledge was nowhere near Salomon's. Comparing him to Salomon was extremely unfair. Balthazar looked around, trying to encourage his apprentice, "You're improving."

"No! Not at all! You're not wearing a ring, are you?" Dave took off his ring, walked to the side, and pointed to the tables and chairs piled up nearby. "See? Without the ring, I can't even move a chair. You've got the wrong person, Balthazar. I'm sorry, I'm really sorry. The savior you're looking for isn't me, and I'm not some Supreme Merlin. I'm just a physics nerd." Dave changed out of his old-fashioned leather shoes and put his high-top canvas shoes back on. "Besides, I'm making a fool of myself wearing these incredibly stupid shoes."

Balthazar watched as Dave pulled up his hoodie and left without looking back. He sighed and busied himself tidying up his damp spellbook. After a while, Salomon, who had witnessed the whole farce, finally spoke.

"Well, he'll be back," he said. "At least he didn't just abandon the artifact and leave."

"Yes, he will return." Balthazar didn't even look up. "Fate brought him to my side; he will not leave the magical world. By the way, did the Sorcerer Supreme tell you about that matter?"

"I have," Salomon stood up. "Apprentice Knight, Salomon Messiah Pendragon Damonette."

"Why not Pendragon?" Balthazar finally looked up. "What did the Sorcerer Supreme tell you?"

"I will wield the Holy Sword from now on," Salomon shrugged. "That means I will become the King of Britain. This is only the first title, and I think that if I'm to make this a reality, I should at least support the independence of Scotland and Northern Ireland first."

"Then, the Order of Merlin will serve you, though I am now all alone." Balthazar bowed slightly. "But if Kamar-Taj does not help me, then the world has no future."

"Why?" Salomon asked.

"Because of Morgan le Fay," Balthazar said, "and now Hofas is trying to rescue Morgan le Fay..."

Salomon listened to Balthazar's rambling account of what had happened, took a deep breath, and finally fell silent. He couldn't bear to tell Balthazar that Morgan le Fay, whom he had imprisoned in that nesting doll, was merely an alter ego, and that it was all just another game by Merlin, who was not so easily killed.

The Sorcerer Supreme was right; Merlin's character was truly wicked, and anyone who spent time with him would come to hate him. Balthazar and his lover paid a heavy price to seal Morgan le Fay. Salomon could imagine that if Balthazar knew the truth, if he realized that everything he had done for over a thousand years had been meaningless, he would utterly collapse. What sustained him was the prophecy Merlin left him, a prophecy that made him believe his lover could be saved.

"I cannot grant you this promise, Balthazar. I do not have the authority to do so," Salomon asked. "What was the Venerable One's reply?"

"The king said that Kamar-Taj would help if necessary," Balthazar raised an eyebrow, "but Hofas and his cronies are still out there wandering."

“You can handle it, can’t you?” Salomon said. “I always obey His Holiness’s orders.”

"It would be even better if we could get some help," Balthazar said. "Dave still needs to grow; he's not yet capable of handling the Morgan le Fay faction of magicians."

"Then let him grow." Salomon spread his hands. "My first official duty was to kill vampires and werewolves born from the magic in the Dark Book. While my hands were stained with blood, my peers were still dreaming of dating the prettiest girl in their class."

"The King has never understood education; he treated Mordred this way, and he treated you the same way. Mordred was initially an excellent knight, but she didn't have your good fortune. The King has been far more lenient with you than with Mordred, but for a normal person, this is already quite cruel." Balthazar's voice was somewhat somber. Salomon's words seemed to remind him of the fall of Camelot and the disintegration of the Knights of the Round Table. He sighed and continued, "Although our wizarding order doesn't hold the knights in high regard, Tristan's statement that 'the King doesn't understand people' is indeed true."

"I admit that Your Excellency's teaching methods are indeed not very good, and your contradictory teachings often leave me completely confused." Salomon lowered his head and used his foot to push the Shar Pei that had come closer to him aside. "But I'm not some rebellious teenager. I know what I should do, whether it's good or bad."

"Great, then would you like to help?"

No, at least not now.

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(End of this chapter)